Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 5:1-5, 21-32; 6:1-22 (Adam to Noah, Wickedness of Mankind)
Last week we read about the first four days of the Creation. We know, of course, that on the sixth day, God made humanity. We know that the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and fell into sin; they rebelled against God through the temptation of a fallen angel, so they had to leave the garden of the presence of God and go into exile, out into the world. We know that their oldest son Cain was wicked, and killed his brother Abel, who was righteous, and we know that God punished Cain by cursing him from the ground, and sending him away as a fugitive and wanderer on the earth.
Cain then went away to a different place and built a city and established a civilization of his own, as though he was trying to prove God wrong. We see in Genesis 4:17-26 that this was an ugly civilization, full of violence and boasting and power struggles between people, in which men had more than one wife and considering their wives to be their property. The civilization advanced, and was making things out of metal, and making music, and domesticating animals, but using all that advancement for evil.
Meanwhile, Adam and Eve then had another son, named Seth, who they prayed and hoped would be the one through whom salvation would come to them. We’ll pick up the story there, in Genesis 5, and see how things develop. We won’t read the whole chapter (which is just a list of generations), but we’ll touch on the important points.
Adam’s Descendants to Noah and His Sons
5 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived a hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.
Seth had a son named Enosh, who had a son named Kenan, who had a son named Mahalalel, who had a son named Jared, who had a son named Enoch.
21 When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methu′selah. 22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methu′selah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
25 When Methu′selah had lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 Methu′selah lived after the birth of Lamech seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had other sons and daughters. 27 Thus all the days of Methu′selah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
28 When Lamech had lived a hundred and eighty-two years, he became the father of a son, 29 and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground which the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands.” 30 Lamech lived after the birth of Noah five hundred and ninety-five years, and had other sons and daughters. 31 Thus all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died.
32 After Noah was five hundred years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The Wickedness of Mankind
6 When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah Pleases God
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and set the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall die.
18 But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you, to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
932 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out the contrast between the righteous descendants of Adam, and the wickedness happening with the rest of the world. Especially, if no one else notices, the leader should point out Enoch, who doesn’t die, but is taken directly to heaven; in many ways, we can understand Enoch to be the first Saint, the first righteous human being included in the Divine Council of the Lord, together with the faithful angels. What happens to him is similar to what we see with Moses, and Elijah, and eventually with Panagia. Elijah, like Enoch, is caught up to heaven without dying, while Moses and Panagia both die before being caught up into the presence of the Lord. Finally, for older classes, it would be good to discuss the connection that we see here for the first time in the Bible, between the envy and evil of fallen angels, and human sexual sin and depravity. Without getting into detail, it seems that what is being spoken of here in verse 4 is sexual immorality linked with demonic possession, which remained common features of pagan worship and ritual practice. This is a very large part of the reason that the Church is so insistent on sexual morality.
The Leader should also point out that God’s judgment comes after much patience; we saw last time God giving warnings, talking about how sinful humankind would be given 120 years more to repent. It’s not explicit in Scripture, but the tradition of the Church has been clear that part of the responsibility of the righteous line of Seth was to preach and proclaim and to warn and to urge the rest of humankind to repent, and that they were faithful in doing so. So God does not just come and destroy the world; He points out their sin, calls them to repentance, and gives them a great deal of time before the judgment comes. And when it does come, as we see here, God saves everyone who is willing to be saved (even though it seems like such a small number, we can be confident that God saved everyone who had not rejected Him), and saves all kinds of the animals, so that life will not be destroyed with the wicked. This shows us both the mercy of God, and the capacity of sinful humanity to destroy ourselves and the world around us by rejecting the mercy and love of God; from this, we should both take comfort, and understand a profound warning about the consequences of rebellion against God.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
6) “What is the a) literal, b) allegorical, c) moral/ethical, d) anagogical/eschatological meaning of this text? (Think of these questions as a mountain which we can ascend, or as layers of meaning upon which we can reflect. Oftentimes, as we reflect upon a text in this way, we may find that the anagogical reading, in which we see the text as revealing the glory of God and His kingdom in a deeper manner, sheds new insights on the lower levels of interpretation.)
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Excerpt from a Homily Explaining that God is Not the Cause of Evil
In both our Day 1 and Day 3 readings this week, we are talking somewhat about demons, fallen angels, those who are in rebellion against God, and their connection to human sin and the brokenness of the world. In the Bible, however, while we often see angels and demons talked about, we never get a clear explanation of how they came to be evil. Today, then, we will read a passage from a sermon of St. Basil the Great, talking about how the devil came to be evil.
[Now we come to] the question about the devil. From where does the devil come, if evils are not from God? What then shall we say? That the same argument that was offered regarding wickedness in the human being also helps us in this inquiry.
But for what reason is the human being evil? Because of his freedom of choice. For what reason is the devil evil? For the same reason; the devil possesses a life endowed with self-determination, and the authority rests in himself either to remain with God or to become estranged (to separate himself, to “become a stranger”) from the good.
Gabriel is an angel, and he stood by God continually. Satan is an angel, and he fell away from his proper place entirely. The free choice of the one kept him in things above, and the self-determination of the other threw him down. For the one (Gabriel) could have become an enemy, and the other (Satan) need not have fallen, but the Gabriel was preserved by his insatiable love of God, while his withdrawal from God showed Satan as worthless.
Evil consists in estrangement (separation) from God. With a small turning of the eye, we are either facing the sun or facing the shadow of our own body. Thus one who looks upward easily finds illumination, but for one who turns toward the shadow, darkening is inevitable. Thus the devil is wicked because he possesses wickedness by free choice, not through a natural opposition to the good.
Why does he fight against us? Because, being a receptacle of all evils, he also accepted the disease of malice and envied our honor. For he could not bear our life free from pain in paradise. With tricks and contrivances he thoroughly deceived the human being, and, misusing the desire the human being had for likeness to God to deceive him, [Satan] showed him the tree and promised that through eating it he would be made like God.
‘For if you eat,’ he said, ‘you will be like gods, knowing good and evil’ (Gen. 3:5). Accordingly, he was not fashioned as our enemy, but out of jealousy he stood against us in enmity. For seeing himself thrown down from among the angels, he could not bear to see the earthly one lifted through progress to the rank of the angels.
(On the Human Condition, St. Basil the Great, p. 75-76, SVS Press 2005).
405 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out the two main points: first, that Satan, and all the demons, were not created evil, but chose to become evil in rebellion against God. God made them free, as He made us free, so that they, and we, could love God in truth and freedom. But the demons chose to rebel instead. Second, St. Basil explains WHY the demons rebelled, that it was out of jealousy of human beings. They were created very great, but when they saw that God intended for us human beings, created much lower, even with physical bodies, to be raised up to the heights, so much that God Himself would become a human being, they rebelled against us, deciding to destroy what God intended to be greater than them. The Saints are the examples that show their failure…this is why it is so important that we call the Virgin Mary “more honorable than the cherubim and more glorious than the seraphim.”)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 3 (Friday)
1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:1-14 (Suffering as a Christian, Tending the Flock of God, Final Greetings & Benediction)
Last time, we saw St. Peter emphasize that Christians are called to live in a completely different way from those around them. He urged the Faithful to remain firm when their neighbors, friends, or even family hated them. And he told them that the end of all things was at hand. We will see how he concludes his letter this week.
Suffering as a Christian
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; 16 yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous man is scarcely saved,
where will the impious and sinner appear?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.
Tending the Flock of God
5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. 2 Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, 3 not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise you that are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. 7 Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. 8 Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. 11 To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings and Benediction
12 By Silva′nus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God; stand fast in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.
Peace to all of you that are in Christ.
Reading 5
503 words
Discussion Questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that, as St. Peter winds down this letter, he urges them to be faithful in the face of persecution, assuring them that they are not alone, and that the glory of the Lord is awaiting those who endure to the end. He begins, however, by urging the leaders/elders – which is to say, the clergy, since the word for elder is Presbyteros, which we have shortened in English to Priest by a process: Presbyteros -> Presbyter -> Prester -> Prest/Priest – to be faithful shepherds of the flock of Christ, and the people to submit to and humble themselves to the leaders and to one another, as the first and most essential step of faithfulness to God in the face of persecutions. The other thing that is worth noting is that, when he talks about Babylon, he is referring to the city of Rome, and therefore we can presume that he is writing this from Rome, toward the end of his life.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
6) “What is the a) literal, b) allegorical, c) moral/ethical, d) anagogical/eschatological meaning of this text? (Think of these questions as a mountain which we can ascend, or as layers of meaning upon which we can reflect. Oftentimes, as we reflect upon a text in this way, we may find that the anagogical reading, in which we see the text as revealing the glory of God and His kingdom in a deeper manner, sheds new insights on the lower levels of interpretation.)
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